Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a religious-discrimination lawsuit alleging the company refused to offer an accommodation to an employee who had religious inscriptions in the form of tattoos on his wrists.

In the lawsuit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged Red Robin refused to offer Edward Rangel, a server at the restaurant, any accommodation for his Kemetic religion, an ancient Egyptian faith. In practicing his religion, Rangel went through a rite of passage where he received religious inscriptions in the form of tattoos.

The inscriptions, less than a quarter-inch wide and encircling his wrists, are a verse from an Egyptian scripture and are written in a liturgical Egyptian language. The inscriptions symbolize his dedication and servitude to his creator, and Rangel's beliefs make it a sin to intentionally conceal the religious inscriptions.

Rangel had the religious inscriptions on his wrists when he was hired at the Bellevue, Washington, Red Robin, which has a dress code that prohibits employees from having visible tattoos. The EEOC said that although Rangel worked at Red Robin for approximately six months without a complaint from customers, co-workers, or his immediate supervisors, a new manager saw the tattoos and fired Rangel for failing to conceal them.

Rangel claimed that he had multiple conversations with management, giving "lengthy explanations" about his faith and need for an accommodation. He sought an exemption from the dress code, but Red Robin refused, according to the lawsuit.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to sincerely held religious beliefs unless it would cause undue hardship to the business.

Red Robin agreed to settle the case, paying Rangel $150,000 and agreeing to make policy and procedural changes.

The company denies any wrongdoing.